Spring Training Game Wrap: Angels 5 Giants 2

Not promising I'm going to post a Game Wrap every game but I watched this one on FSW, the network the Angels are on.  

Spring Training openers sure ain't what they used to be!  I recall the days when you could expect the team Ace or at least their #2 to take the mound on the first spring training game and work 3 full innings.  Pitch counts?  Pitch counts?  Nope.  Workload was counted in innings.  Had to get ready to go a full 9 innings every fourth game, you know.  Today's game was scheduled for 7 innings.  The Giants used 7 pitchers for one inning each, none of whom are likely to make the Opening Day roster.  They even had a one-inning "mercy rule" in which a manager had the option of ending an inning when the scheduled pitchers reached 20 pitches rather than having to warm up and bring in another pitcher.  Kap actually used that rule in the 7'th inning!  Somewhere there is a poor Angels fan who is thinking he/she was robbed of a chance to see their favorite prospect hit a grand slam.  I know that's how I would feel!  Key Lines:

Buster Posey C- 1 for 1, BB.   Buster caught 3 innings and looked great.  He drew a BB and hit an oppo field single.  He also made a nice looking throw to nail a baserunner only to have it not count due to the batter drawing ball four.  Still, great to see Buster back on the field and playing well.

Jimmie Sherfy RHP, Sam Wolff RHP, Sam Long LHP- These 3 pitchers had "plus" appearances with sharp looking stuff.  Sherfy and Wolff had 2 K's each and Long had one on a FB that was reportedly 97 MPH.  Conner Menez also pitched a scoreless first inning but had trouble finding the strike zone early which resulted in 2 BB's.  

Zack Littell, Jay Jackson and Tyler Cyr all struggled to find the strike zone and Littell badly hung a couple of breaking pitches that got whacked, at least to my eye. Cyr was the guy Kap called the "mercy rule" on.

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For all of FZ's Hot Stove moves, the Giants are still woefully thin at SS and CF which was highlighted by Mauricio Dubon starting the game at SS.  The reported plan is for Dubon to work SS and CF on alternate days.  Marco Luciano replaced him after 1 AB today.  It will be interesting to see how many innings Luciano gets this spring and whether Will Wilson also gets some reps and SS.  Note to FZ and Kap:  A 26-man roster does not allow for a platoon at every position.